A phone call from a neighbor

So how did I come to be in the market for a new apartment?

Therein lies a story.

I bought a very cute studio apartment just off Central Park West back in 2003. It was a lovely pre-war doorman/elevator building, constructed in 1930. What attracted me was that it was on the corner so it had windows in every 'room': in the kitchen, the bathroom, the dining area and the main living space. There were tall built-in shelves for books and TV, and six deep built-in drawers, so no need for a dresser. Nice coffered ceilings were throughout, and of course those thick plaster walls that they don't seem to make anymore. I never heard a peep from my neighbors to the side or above me. And speaking of neighbors, cut to 9 happy years later...

I get a phone call at the office. It was the daughter of the woman who owned the apartment next to mine. Her mom was selling the place, it was the family pied-à-terre, and they didn't need it anymore as they lived in Westchester county and rarely used it. She thought she'd offer it to me before she put it on the market. This was not a totally selfless act. She'd save on paying a realtor plus she'd avoid the buildinng's flip tax, a total saving of 8%! Smart lady.

I got the key from the super, walked in and took one look and knew immediately that if I combined the two units I'd end up with a fantastic 2 bedroom/2 bath apartment. I never waffled for a second.

I worked with an architect that happened to live in my building. The bad news was that I had to live through the renovation. Not fun. It was dirty, dusty, and generally made me crazy. Thank God I had the weekend house to escape the mess from time to time.

In the end it was well worth it. It was the apartment of my dreams, spacious, chic, it was "me" through and through. A remodeling website even did an article on the project,  here's the link:

http://www.remodelista.com/posts/weekend-spotlight-lauren-rubin-combining-two-studio-apartments-in-nyc

I love the way it turned out. Here are some shots of the pass-thru kitchen, dining area, living room, and two bedrooms. You can't beat the 1930s casement windows.
But here's the kicker: the place was so perfect...I had to sell it!